Introduction:
Welcome to Ethics in Action; an educational series for city officials and employees! The Atlanta Code of Ethics (also known as the Standards of Conduct) applies to all city officials and employees (temporary and permanent).
Are you familiar with the Code?
Click on the video below to learn more...
Review the Code of Ethics: Here
Next topic: Outside Employment
Ethics in Action is a public education initiative to promote an ethical culture at the City of Atlanta. City officials and employees are encouraged to live the values of an ethical culture through a commitment to:
Honesty,
Integrity,
Accountability,
Trust, and
Transparency
The City of Atlanta is fostering a strong ethical culture through:
Ethics Training
In addition to the ethics training provided by the Ethics Office at new employee orientation, the Office offers a variety of classroom training programs to educate city officials and employees about the city's ethical standards, how to comply with the Code of Ethics, and how to avoid the appearance of impropriety. In addition to the city-wide workshops, which are open to any employee or board member, the Ethics Office conducts workshops for individual offices, departments, or boards on request.
Using real-life case studies, the Ethics Office presents the relevant law, describes a scenario that raises an ethical question, leads a discussion in which participants discuss appropriate ways to resolve the question, and then explains how the issue was decided. The goal is to enable officials and employees to identify potential conflicts of interest, determine appropriate ways to avoid or resolve the conflict, and encourage them to seek advice in difficult situations.
Examples of Available Ethics Training Workshops
The Atlanta Ethics Code: Promoting the Public Trust - a one-hour presentation for new employees on gratuities, outside employment, and use of city property.
Doing the Right Thing: Compliance Isn’t Enough - a two-hour workshop for employees on gratuities and conflicts of interest.
Doing the Right Thing: Both Reality and Appearance Matter - a two-hour workshop for volunteer city officials who serve on city boards and commissions, as city representatives on other public boards, and as neighborhood planning unit officers.
There's No Free Lunch – a 30-minute lunch and lunch presentation that focuses on ethical values, gift rules, and disclosure requirements.
Note: The Ethics Office works with the sponsor to tailor the program especially for the particular office or department, using examples common to its work.
Starting in 2010, the City of Atlanta requires all newly hired employees to sign an Employee Ethics Pledge, and asks other employees and officials to sign the pledge after they receive ethics training. The ethics pledge informs them about the city's ethics rules and gains their commitment to place the city's best interests above their own financial and personal interests.
In addition, all departing employees are asked to sign a pledge when they retire, resign, or are terminated from city employment. The pledge informs that about the city’s one-year cooling-off period and its restrictions on their appearances before city agencies or work on behalf of private interests about matters on which they worked while employed at the city.
Other individuals interested in signing the pledge may download the pledge and send a signed copy to the Ethics Office.
The goal of ethics education is to encourage city officials and employees to do the right thing and live the values of an ethical culture: Honesty, Integrity, Accountability, Trust, and Transparency.
Ethics Training
Ethics training is a key step in promoting ethical conduct and a critical component to a comprehensive ethics and compliance program. The Ethics Office educates and trains city officials and employees on the city’s ethical standards and the need to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Ethics training is provided to all new employees as part of the New Employees Orientation and to employees in specific offices or departments on request. Training is also provided to city vendors.
Ethics Pledges
The City of Atlanta requires all newly hired employees to sign an employee ethics pledge, and all departing employees to pledge that they will abide by the city's one-year cooling-off period. Other employees and officials are asked to sign an ethics pledge after they receive ethics training. The ethics pledge informs them about the city's ethics rules and solicits their commitment to place the city's best interests above their own financial and personal interests. City vendors are required to sign an pledge agreeing to abide by the City's ethics rules as part of the City's procurement process.
Ethics in Action is a public education initiative to promote an ethical culture at the City of Atlanta. City officials and employees are encouraged to live the values of an ethical culture through a commitment to:
Honesty,
Integrity,
Accountability,
Trust, and
Transparency
The City of Atlanta is fostering a strong ethical culture through:
Ethics Publications
Ethics in Action. The Ethics Office publishes an e-Newsletter, Ethics in Action, for all city employees and city officials.
Ethical Guidelines. For individuals who want to understand how the ethics law applies in specific situations, the Ethics Office has developed publications that discuss the ethics rules and provide examples about how they apply to employees, board members, neighborhood planning unit officers, and elected city officials.
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